If I can fill in the part you didn't read...

...the leaf packs ALSO do not press the tire down the way people seem to think they do...they support the weight of the truck, but, as the tire falls away on droop...

...the amount of pressure that the leaf pack is providing drops dramatically...and, not only is the leaf pack NOT pressing the tire down hard as the tire reaches full droop, it is actually PULLING THE TIRE UP near the end of travel...

...as its that PULL that is what STOPS the droop...the last few inches of down travel, the tire is UNWEIGHTED by the pull of the leaves (For a regular shackle).

So, the loss in traction for a regular shackle is not linear as shown...it would be a decreasing radius arc representing an initial down force the same as the revolver...with a dramatic drop in traction for a few inches until the suspension hit the neutral point -

- and the regular shackle would swing in...and the weight of the tire and axle is all that's pulling the tire down, AGAINST the pull of the leaves.

MOST of the down force, for BOTH regular and Revolver shackle suspensions, is due to the LEVERAGE of the live axle...

...with the stuffed or upper tire acting as a fulcrum, the stuffed or upper leaf pack acting as the down force....and the drooped/ lower tire exerting the transmitted force downwards at the end of the lever arm.

There really is no such thing as unloading unique to Revolvers, it was part of the misinterpretation by the people accidentally perpetrating the Myths.

BOTH types of shackle "unweight" at one point...the regular shackles swing when the tire/axle pull them down...the Revolver unfolds...its the same action, in response to the same forces.

The graph does not SHOW the unweighting of the regular shackle of course...but, it does occur...you can watch a regualr shackle swing on droop very easily.

As a truck goes over terrain, you can see the regular shackle swing back and forth in response...as the suspension is loaded and unloaded.

If a regular shackled truck is going down a steep hill, and the balance of weight is transferred to the down hill end...you can see the regular shackles swing in as the weight comes off....and, if the truck were to slow too abruptly, you can see the rear tires even leave the ground...transferring even more weight forward, etc.



The primary differences in traction attributes are that:

1. The regular shackle swings when unweighted. (Unloading)

2. The Revolver Shackle unfolds when unweighted.

3. The regular shackle suspension, when unweighted, is also pulled down by the axle and tire, but pulled UP by the leaf pack.

4. The Revolver Shackle suspension, when unweighted, is also pulled down by the axle and tire ...AND LEAF PACK, ...and is NOT pulled up by the leaf pack....until it too reaches the limit of the shackle swing....several inches further down.

Other than the above, the two suspensions are pretty similar on droop.

BOTH - just like any lift mod, raise the center of gravity and require longer shocks and or other adjustments to take advantage of the longer travel.

If you get a regular lift shackle type 3" suspension lift, and don't get longer shocks, brake lines, breather tubes, etc,...you can break the these on droop.

If you get a longer flexy leaf pack...you can get the same travel as with the revolvers...and would need to make sure the shocks and drive shaft, brake line, breather tubes, etc...will still reach.

IE: Other than the tires staying on the ground longer, and providing traction over a longer range of articulation for the Revolvers, a regular and Revolver shackled suspension will be comparable.

I find the PRIMARY advantage to the Revolver is that I can get the TRAVEL and ARTICULATION normally requiring a taller lift, without the corrusponding increase on COG....and WITH the ability to use a stiffer leaf pack for better load carrying capacity.